Model pupils

Three directors from KPF, Fosters and Arup Sport have formed an educational charity to boost the level of 3D modelling skills in the architectural industry. The trio, called SmartGeometry, has formed close links with MicroStation developer Bentley and plan on running annual summer schools in the advanced use and customisation of computer modelling tools.

The charity was set up by Lars Hesselgren of KPF, Foster and Partners' Hugh Whitehead and J Parrish from Arup after becoming disillusioned about the lack of sophisticated CAD tuition in the architecture schools.

"We felt cut off," said Hesselgren, senior associate partner at KPF. "But the three of us have now reached a stage in our careers where we feel that we want to pass something on to the next generation."

The three are collaborating with Bentley's chief scientist Robert Aish on the development of "custom-object" technology - an advanced tool which fuses geometric modelling and programming. This will form the basis of the summer school.
"At the conceptual phase of design, architecture is much more about geometric relationships and proportions than concerned with precise dimensions. Custom-objects allows the creative designer to capture these relationships not as a single static model, but as a live and re-executable configuration . . . as a series of geometric what-ifs?" said Aish

Hesselgren says the research is aimed at liberating architects from the constraints imposed by the CAD industry. Most modelling tools are "prescriptive" in their use, he said, and make it difficult for architects to work with pure complex geometries. "The industry is trying to define for architects what architecture actually is. What we want to build are geometric relationships which are not dependent on notions of architecture, but are only dependent on geometric assumptions," said Hesselgren.

Custom-object technology will also allow architects to reprogram the software to make their models more responsive and intelligent. Models could also contain automatic assessments showing the environmental the performance of the building, for example, or help architects to make initial engineering decisions.

"It's not just about 3-D geometry - you can apply just about anything you can think of, whether it's acoustic properties, heat loss, rule-of-thumb structural parameters or costs. You can put anything into your basic parametric model and you have a very powerful tool," said J Parrish, director at Arup Sport, who used 3-D modelling to complete the concept work for Stadium Australia and design Birmingham's bid for the national football stadium.

SmartGeometry will be offering 14 places (supported by six tutors) on its summer school, running 10-12 June. Ten places will be funded by Bentley. Preference will be given to designers who make regular use of modelling programs. "We're really not interested in people who don't use 3-D CAD every day," said Hesselgren. Tutors will include Chris Williams from Bath University and Axel Kilian, a Catia expert from MIT.

A one-day conference will follow on 13 June at Churchill College, Cambridge to draw out lessons from the summer school.